Add/drop a pusher/helper engine
Real life scenario:
A fast freight is highballing across the prairies. The engine is geared for speed but not for long grades.
The train arrives at the foot of a long grade where it stops at a siding. A powerful pusher/helper engine comes out of an adjacent siding and connects to the back of the fast freight.
The train climbs up the grade at a slower but still reasonable speed.
At the top of the grade, the train pulls up at a siding and the pusher/helper engine drops off to await a returning train, perhaps to assist with braking on the downslope trip.
TTDPatch adaptation:
The player sends the train to the depot and control+click purchases the desired pusher/helper engine
The player sends the train to the second depot and sells the pusher/helper engine.
Disadvantage: The player must monitor the train for the appropriate time to send the train to the depot.
Current Advanced Orders TTDPatch adaptation:
The player gives the train a set of Goto Depot orders, but the player must still monitor the train in order to buy/sell the pusher/helper engine.
In both these adaptations, the player can preposition a pusher/helper engine with a control+click purchase and avoid the need for repetitive buy/sell transactions, but the player must still monitor the train in order to add/drop the pusher/helper engine.
Suggestion: Add an Advanced Order function that adds/drops a prepositioned pusher/helper engine to the consist.
Some considerations:
- Articulated engines (steamer + tender) are usually treated as one item in the purchase window. Is this a concern for this suggestion?
- What if the player prepositions more than one pusher/helper engine? Can a parameter be added to specify the addition/dropping of one or more engines?
- What if a pusher/helper engine is not currently available (It's already helping another train)? Can the current train be made to await the availability of a pusher/helper engine to be dropped off by a returning train?
EDIT: With sincerest apologies to Pikkabird for the inadvertent blatant theft of his original idea for
"Helpers/Bankers" and a thank you to Michael Blunck for pointing this out to me.
EDIT Please also see the related discussion under OTTD.